I was in yet another park and right after enjoying my chili with a side of black beans, when a young couple walked by arguing. I was inside my vehicle, and they were too involved on their exchange to notice anybody nearby, including the two junkies/druggies sitting close by. The female started to move away, and the male grabbed her by the arm in a less than charitable way to keep her next to him. She let out a yelp, more of surprise than pain and stopped, only to then sit down at a picnic table where the argument continued.
The standing posture of the male was one of dominance. toward her sitting partner. That plus the arm grabbing did not set well with me and I could hear the Knight of Chivalry shaking its rusty armor inside me. But common sense prevailed: rather than getting out and have a word with the fella, my mind raced through all the postings we had here about stupid confrontations that ended up with somebody on his way to the ER or the morgue.
So, I did nothing.
Why? Legally there was nothing to intervene on. Was there a reasonable fear that she was in clear and imminent danger? No. And this could be considered a domestic situation where we all know the victim usually ends up siding with her abuser and attacking her defender. Calling the cops? By the time they would have arrived, the couple would be either gone (which happened) or it would have escalated to Use of Force where I may have been morally inclined to intervene somehow and then find myself going through the rigmarole of explaining why I did what I did and probably requesting a lawyer.
Life ain’t the movies. You just don’t approach the offender, slap him a couple of times and ride into the sunset with a new adoring female* clinging to you. More than likely you’ll end up in traction or in cuffs.
To quote from a well-known movie.
(* and probably the missus would have strong words and actions if I had a young female clinging to me)
And usually the “argument “ is over some trivial crap. Just walk away. And reflect on Americas future….
That’s my normal MO.
Sorry, but unless I personally am involved, or harm to someone I know is not part of the altercation (and is within my mantle of protection) is imminent, I am leaving the scene. Perhaps if I was in a car, at a safe distance, I might stick around to provide testimony to the police, but odds are, I am out of there.
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Not my fight, and joining it without 100% full information is a sure way to get yourself in trouble.
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in your particular situation, perhaps getting out of the car might have altered some threatening behavior, but maybe not. An abuser will ignore vagrants and druggies. They know they will not intervene. But, someone obviously on the ball is different. Having an observer always changes behavior.
But, I agree with your approach.
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You did the right thing.
In such situations the best thing to do is stay out of it. Be a good witness to events, preferably by videoing the event so there can be no doubt about what happened.